AWAY, MELANCHOLY

1. It is a poem by English poet Stevie Smith, first published in her 1957 collection Not Waving
But Drowning.
2. In the poem, the speaker is attempting to banish or do away with their melancholy by trying
to remember the beauty of the world and its miracles.
3. It is ultimately a hopeful poem about the powerful force of the human spirit.

Summary
It is an uplifting poem that seeks to banish melancholy from the minds of its readers.The
poem takes the reader through the basic reasons why the speaker believes there’s no reason to
feel melancholy. She taps into humanity’s basic, decent nature, its strength, and goodness.
Humans, she reminds the reader, are also animals and are just as much a part of the
instinctual natural world as ants are.
Analysis
In ‘Away, Melancholy,’ Smith’s refusal of melancholy can be viewed as the refusal of the self’s
ontological reality. Whereas the poem celebrates the idea of turning a blind eye to the complex
nature of the problem and the pain of human suffering, it may deny the value of complexity.
This radical position undermines the preconceived idea that non-acceptance of negativity is
positive and introduces a discourse between hopelessness and hope.
Themes
In ‘Away, Melancholy,’ the poet explores the prominent theme of nature. This includes human
nature/instinct and non-human nature. Throughout natural images, the poet sets the poem up to
remind the reader of the basic beauty of the living world. She uses an ant, the wind, and the
rain, as a way to bring someone’s melancholy back around reality. When the world spins on,
she’s essentially asking, what reason do you have to feel sorrow? In an effort to connect the
natural elements like wind, rain, and fire to the human experience, the poet brings in God,
human decency, and strength. She ends the poem on a poignant note, suggesting that human
goodness is far more powerful than human folly.
Structure and Form
‘Away, Melancholy’ by Stevie Smith is a nine-stanza poem that is separated into stanzas of
varying lengths. The first stanza is two lines, followed by three five-line stanzas, the fifth and
sixth stanzas have ten lines, the seventh has four, the eighth: has eight, and the ninth: has two.
These stanzas do not follow a specific rhyme scheme but there are plenty of examples of rhyme
throughout the poem. For example, “blow” and “flow” in stanza two and “meat” and “eat” in
stanza three. The same can be said about the meter. The lines are all visually around the same
length but range in the number of syllables they contain.
Literary Devices
Smith makes use of several literary devices in ‘Away, Melancholy.’
alliteration, anaphora, and enjambment.
 i. Alliteration- is a common type of repetition. It is concerned with the use and
reuse of the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example,
“Fire” and “flow” in line four of the second stanza and “good” and “God” in line nine
of the fifth stanza.
ii. Anaphora is another kind of repetition. It occurs when the poet repeats the same
word or words at the beginning of multiple lines. For example, the lines of the first
stanza, both of which begin with “Away.” Another example can be found in the seventh

stanza in which two lines start with “To.”

iii. Enjambment is a formal device, one that occurs when the poet cuts off a line before
its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between the first two lines of the
third stanza as well as most of the lines in the fifth stanza.
Lines 1–7

“Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.
Are not the trees green,
The earth as green?
Does not the wind blow,
Fire leap and rivers flow?
Away, melancholy.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker is trying to get rid of melancholy
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The poem begins with anaphora as the speaker is urging melancholy to go away
ii. The repetition of “away, melancholy” emphasises the speaker’s determination to rid
themselves of sadness:
a. The repetition also creates a rhythmic quality, reinforcing their insistence and resolve
iii. The imperative “Away with it, let it go” serves as a call to action, urging the reader to release
their melancholy and embrace the beauty of life
iv. The questions that follow highlight the beauty of nature:
a. The contrast between the vibrant imagery of nature and the presence of melancholy
highlights the speaker’s desire to reject negative emotions
LINES 8–12
 “The ant is busy
He carrieth his
meat,
All things hurry
To be eaten or eat.
Away, melancholy.

KEY IDEA
The speaker focuses on the role of the ant in the natural world
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. These lines evoke imagery from the natural world, specifically focusing on the activity of an
ant:
a. This imagery serves to emphasise the relentless and continuous cycle of life and
survival
ii. The ant is often used as a symbol of industriousness and perseverance:
a. By portraying the ant as busy and focused on its task of carrying food, the speaker
highlights the importance of diligence and determination in overcoming challenges
iii. The phrase “To be eaten or eat” reflects a simple truth about the cycle of life and the struggle
for survival:
a. This line suggests that all living beings are driven by the instinct to sustain
themselves
iv. Similar to the previous stanza, the imperative “Away, melancholy” at the end of these lines
serves as a call to action
a. This urges the reader to cast off feelings of melancholy and embrace life
LINES 13–17

“Man, too, hurries,

Eats, couples, buries,
He is an animal also
With a hey ho melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker makes a link between humans and animals
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. Stanza four draws parallels between human behaviour and the behaviour of animals,
highlighting similarities in actions, such as eating, reproducing and eventually dying:
a. The comparison suggests that human beings are not separate from the natural world
but are instead important parts of it
ii. The exclamation “With a hey ho melancholy,” conveys a sense of resignation or acceptance of
melancholy as a universal condition shared by both humans and animals
iii. The final line uses the imperative “Away with it, let it go”, which echoes the earlier calls to
banish melancholy from the speaker’s thoughts
Lines 18–27

“Man of all creatures

Is superlative
(Away melancholy)
He of all creatures alone
Raiseth a stone
(Away melancholy)
Into the stone, the god
Pours what he knows of
good
Calling, good, God.
Away melancholy, let it go.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker looks closer at the unique attributes of human beings
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The claim that “Man of all creatures/is superlative” suggests that human beings possess
qualities or abilities that set them apart from other creatures:
a. This declaration of human superiority sets the stage for further exploration of what
distinguishes humans from the rest of the natural world
ii. The line “He of all creatures alone/Raiseth a stone” highlights humanity’s capacity for
creation and innovation:
a. The act of raising a stone can symbolise the construction of monuments, buildings, or
other forms of human-made structures
 iii. The mention of “the god” pouring “what he knows of good” into the stone suggests the idea
of a divine presence or essence infused within human creations:
a. This makes humanity the superior “of all creatures”
iv. As in previous stanzas, the refrain “Away melancholy, let it go” serves as a recurring call to
banish sadness from the human consciousness
LINES 28–36

“Speak not to me of tears,

Tyranny, pox, wars,
Saying, Can God
Stone of man’s thought, be
good?
Say rather it is enough
That the stuffed
Stone of man’s good, growing,
By man’s called God
Away, melancholy, let it go.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker expresses a lack of interest in the negative parts of life and existence
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker begins by rejecting conversations or thoughts centred on “tears”, “tyranny”,
disease and “wars”:
a. These topics evoke suffering, oppression and conflict, which are often associated with
melancholy or despair. By urging not to speak of these things, the speaker seeks to
distance themselves from negativity and focus on more uplifting ideas
ii. The metaphor of God as the “Stone of man’s thought” suggests that human perceptions and
beliefs shape their understanding of the divine
iii. The question of whether God can “be good” poses a philosophical question of God and
goodness:
a. The speaker is questioning whether God can truly be good if there is suffering in the
world
iv. However, the speaker does not answer the question and instead, leaves the reader to reflect on
it
v. Again, as in previous stanzas, the poem concludes with the imperative “Away, melancholy, let
it go”:
 a. This refrain serves as a recurring call to reject melancholy and embrace a more
optimistic and hopeful view on life
LINES 37–48

“Man aspires
To good,
To love
Sighs;
Beaten, corrupted, dying
In his own blood lying
Yet heaves up an eye
above
Cries, Love, love
It is his virtue needs
explaining,
Not his failing.
Away, melancholy,
Away with it, let it go.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker focuses on human beings striving for goodness and love despite their challenges
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The lines “Man aspires/to good/to love” highlight humanity’s desire for goodness and love:
a. This aspiration reflects the fundamental human longing for meaning, connection and
fulfilment
ii. The inclusion of “sighs” suggests a sense of resignation or weariness in the face of
challenges:
a. Despite the aspiration towards good and love, human existence is often marked by
struggle, disappointment and sadness
iii. The image of a man “beaten, corrupted, dying/In his own blood lying” evokes a sense of
despair and mortality:
a. However, even in this bleak situation, the speaker portrays the man as raising “an eye
above” and crying out for love:
i. This image emphasises the spirit of humanity
 iv. The speaker claims that a person’s “virtue needs explaining/Not his failing”:
a. This challenges conventional perspectives that focus on human flaws
b. Instead, the speaker suggests that the true essence of humanity lies in its capacity for
resilience and love
v. The poem then loops back to its original refrain, which is a message to banish “melancholy”
and embrace a more positive outlook on life
Writer's methods
Form
The poem is written in free verse without metre.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

By using irregular rhythm and free verse, the

The poem is written in free verse with lines that vary in length and poem’s
Sadness irregular rhyme schemes. The poem does not follow a strict or steady
versus rhyme, although it does contain slant rhyme, internal rhymes and end pace is quicker, making some stanzas sound like a
hope rhymes. Stanza one and three and stanza nine are good examples of chant or a war cry and, as a result, the overall
this message of the poem – that humanity strives to be
good, even in desperate situations – is emphasised

Structure
The poem consists of 48 lines, which are divided into ten irregular stanzas.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The use of this refrain underscores the speaker’s desire to focus on happiness and hope over
The poem uses sadness. The speaker repeats this refrain at the end of every stanza and each stanza gives a
Sadness a refrain “Away, different reason to hope and not become melancholic
versus hope melancholy, By the end of the poem, the tone of the refrain has changed as the topic in each stanza has
Away with it, let it go.” changed to highlight the strength and “virtue” of people. The refrain then sounds defiant and
stronger than at the beginning of the poem as the speaker has given people reasons to hope

Language
The writer uses language to reflect the speaker’s desire to rid the world of melancholy.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The writer uses rhetorical questions such as in The use of rhetorical question gives readers the freedom and space to
lines 3–6: “Are not the trees green, reflect on the answers. However, these questions are also then followed
Sadness by the refrain, which subtly helps the reader conclude that the wonders
The earth as green?” of the world are reason enough to give up sadness and be hopeful
versus hope
The poet uses anaphora to create a sense of urgency and emphasise the
The writer uses anaphora in stanza one and at
speaker’s desire to get rid of melancholy. This technique effectively
the end of the poem in stanza 10 when
urges the reader to replace sadness with hope as the repetition reinforces
repeating the word “Away”
the speaker’s message

The writer mentions God and uses vivid detail The poet suggests the idea that God is a human creation born out of
and description when questioning the existence raising “a stone” and pouring hope into it. She questions whether God
 of God. “Can God/Stone of man’s thought, be exists in a world where there is disease and death or whether God has
Humanity good?” been created to give people a focus and hope
and the The poet also uses wordplay by using phrases
divine The poet uses the wordplay to highlight how humanity has created God
such as “good, God” to contrast the two
in order to strive for something and continue to aspire “to good/to love”
similar-sounding words

Sadness versus hope

i. Stevie Smith was a British poet and novelist who struggled with depression all her life:
a. It could be said that ‘Away, Melancholy’ is an autobiographical poem
ii. The poem describes the struggle that people have to find beauty and hope when faced with
terrible situations
iii. The poem begins with a powerful refrain that is repeated throughout the poem to encourage
the reader to get rid of their “melancholy” and “let it go”
iv. The second stanza of the poem directs the reader’s attention to nature through the use of
rhetorical questions:
a. This immediately makes the reader reflect on the beauty of nature rather than its
destructive force
v. The speaker then focuses on the ant, who can be seen as a symbol of resilience and hope:
a. However, the symbol transforms into one of sadness through the oversimplification of
a creature’s purpose “to be eaten or eat”
vi. The comparison of the ant with human beings highlights the primitive nature of human
beings:
a. However, the speaker’s focus then moves to humanity and why it is superior
vii. The speaker then reflects on how humanity still strives for hope and “love” despite the
challenges it faces
viii. The end of the poem is fuelled with passion as the speaker uses vivid imagery to highlight
how a person’s “virtue” should be focused on rather than “his failing”:
a. It is an individual's resilience in the face of adversity that should be praised
Humanity and the divine
i. In Stevie Smith’s poem ‘Away, Melancholy’, the theme of humanity and its relationship with
God is explored:
a. The poem delves into the complexities of human existence, portraying mankind’s
aspirations, struggle and resilience amid the challenges of life
ii. Throughout the poem, there is a recurring call to cast away melancholy and embrace the
vitality and goodness inherent in humanity:
a. Smith writes that “Man aspires/to good/to love”, suggesting that despite the struggles,
humans are made to strive and love
iii. The poem questions whether God is a human creation made to direct humanity’s hope and
give them a focus:
 a. The speaker suggests that mankind has created God by raising “a stone” and
worshipping it
iv. The speaker claims that mankind has poured goodness into the stone and called “good, God”:
a. It could be inferred that the poet has placed the words “good” and “God” together to
highlight the similarity in the words in order to suggest that humanity has poured
goodness from themselves into the stone and called it “God”
b. Smith is therefore questioning God’s existence
v. The speaker emphasises humanity’s capacity for creativity, love and virtue, while also
acknowledging its vulnerability and imperfections:
a. However, the main message of the poem is that human beings have more strength
than they may initially realise
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Detailed Analysis
Stanzas One and Two
In the first lines of ‘Away, Melancholy,’ the speaker begins with the line that later came to be
used as the title of the poem. She appears to be casting “melancholy” off. She’s willing it away
with the effort of her words, asking herself, and anyone listening to “let it go.” The following
stanza is used as a way to remind herself that things aren’t so bad, and the world is still as it
should be. The trees are green, the wind blows, and the rivers flow. The elements of the world
are aligned and working just as they always do. This is something to take pleasure and comfort
in. It should be enough to banish any sense of melancholy.
Stanza Three
In the third stanza, Smith’s speaker goes on, adding another nature-based reason why everyone
should open their eyes to happiness and joy. There’s no reason to bask in sorrow or depression
when the simple, beautiful processes of the world are playing out. For example, the ant carrying
“his meat.” Everything, like the ant, is going about its business. It’s ready to “be eaten or eat.”
The refrain of “away, melancholy” at the end of the stanza feels like an invocation of goodwill.
It becomes a mantra.
Stanza Four
The fourth stanza connects the behavior of the ant and the broader animal world to the human
world. Human beings are also going about their lives. They are hurrying and coupling. The
speaker reminds the reader that humans are also animals and have instincts and simple joys to
fill their lives with. The use of the musical “hey ho” in the fourth line means that the poet
creates a perfect rhyme with “also” and “go” in the preceding and following lines. This lifts the
whole tone of the poem.
Stanza Five
The fifth and sixth stanzas are the longest of the poem. In the first, the speaker brings God, or
the idea of a god, into the poem. She suggests that human beings are well imbued within their
souls. She uses the metaphor of a stone, raised by God and humankind to a higher status. This
is meant to remind the reader that there is more to life than whatever petty sorrows are bringing
on a feeling of melancholy.
Stanza Six
The sixth stanza transitions into first-person, using the pronoun “me.” She asks that no one
talk to her about the terrible things in life or ask if God can be “good.” She wants everyone to
know that it’s enough that humanity is good, or was made good. Or, depending on one’s
interpretation of these lines, that humanity made a good God. These lines feel quite cyclical
and the speaker appears to be taking comfort in that fact.

Stanzas Seven, Eight, and Nine

The speaker’s hope in life comes from the fact that there is love and that humanity aspires “To
good” and “To love.” Even in the darkest moments of life, when one is dying inter own blood,
humanity raises an eye to the sky and “Cries, Love, love.” There is no reason to delve into the
failings of humankind, the speaker says. It’s more interesting to consider the depths of
humanity’s goodness. That is where the true complexity and amazement lie. The final lines of
the poem reiterate the first stanza and the refrain that’s structured the entire piece.

‘Away, Melancholy’ is an example of Stevie Smith's work. The poem typically captures her
normal writing style of having a conversational tone and yet at the same time philosophizing.
The poem’s call to avoid sorrow and embrace the force of life is so central to her thematic
concerns. The directness and the recurring rhythm reflect Smith’s style of clear, genuine, and
rather philosophical approach.

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The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument

‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’ by Anne Stevenson was published in 1969. The speaker is in
amazement over the complexities of a newborn baby’s body and concludes that the human “spirit” is
too clumsy to be able to create something so perfectly.
LINES 1–5

“The spirit is too blunt an instrument

to have made this baby.
Nothing so unskilful as human passions
could have managed the intricate
exacting particulars: the tiny”
KEY IDEA
The speaker contemplates the creation of a baby
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker uses metaphorical language to convey the idea that the human spirit
is inadequate when it comes to creating life:
a. The word “blunt” suggests that the human spirit lacks the delicate touch required for
such a complex process
ii. The speaker then expands on the initial point and suggests that the creation of a baby is
beyond the capabilities of human passions as they could not have been able to make the
“intricate exacting particulars”
iii. The enjambment here could reflect the speaker’s marvel and wonder over the creation of
“this baby”:
a. Caesura is used in line five to indicate that the speaker will elaborate on the list of
the “particulars” of the baby that they find so fascinating
LINES 6–9
“blind bones with their manipulating tendons,
the knee and the knucklebones, the resilient
fine meshings of ganglia and vertebrae,
the chain of the difficult spine”

KEY IDEA
The speaker lists some of the attributes of the baby that they are marvelling at
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker provides a detailed description of various anatomical components and this
attention to detail highlights the speaker’s fascination with the complexity and precision of
the structure of the human body
ii. The writer uses concrete nouns such as “tendons”, “knee” and “knucklebones” to describe
the baby:
a. The baby is being described as a highly complex physical object
b. The baby therefore becomes distinct from the mind, or spirit, which is “blunt” and
“unskilful”
LINES 10–14
 “Observe the distinct eyelashes and sharp crescent
fingernails, the shell-like complexity
of the ear, with its firm involutions
concentric in miniature to minute
ossicles…”

KEY IDEA
The speaker continues to observe and marvel at the baby’s features
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker begins by urging the reader to “observe” the minute details of the body:
a. This indicates a sense of curiosity and wonder in the speaker
ii. Through vivid imagery, the speaker describes the distinct features of the body, such as the
“eyelashes” and the “fingernails” and emphasises the unique characteristics of each body part:
a. This reinforces the complexity of the baby’s body
LINES 14–18

“...Imagine the
infinitesimal capillaries, the flawless connections
of the lungs, the invisible neural filaments
through which the completed body
already answers to the brain.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker continues to marvel at the baby’s body by now focusing on the internal mechanisms
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker invites the reader to “imagine” the intricate structures within the body,
emphasising the need for visualisation and contemplation
ii. The speaker describes various physiological elements, including “infinitesimal capillaries”
and “flawless connections of the lungs”, which highlight the microscopic components of the
human body
iii. The speaker emphasises the interconnectedness of bodily systems, suggesting that the body is
already responding to the brain through “invisible neural filaments”:
a. This highlights the seamless integration of physiological processes
iv. Throughout these lines, there is a sense of wonder and awe at the anatomy of the human body
 v. The enjambment used here could highlight the speaker’s excitement over the design of the
human body
LINES 19–24

“Then name any passion or sentiment

possessed of the simplest accuracy.
No, no desire or affection could have done
with practice what habit
has done perfectly, indifferently,
through the body’s ignorant precision.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker returns to her initial point about the limits of the spirit and how it cannot create a life
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. Once again, the speaker challenges the idea that human passions possess any level of
“accuracy” by asking the reader to “name any passion or sentiment” that could create a
human life
ii. The speaker suggests that habit plays a crucial role in shaping the body’s functions rather than
human desires or affections
iii. The phrase “the body’s ignorant precision” highlights the disconnect between bodily
functions and human consciousness:
a. The speaker emphasises how the body has remarkable precision in carrying out tasks,
but it does so without awareness
LINES 25–27

“It is left to the vagaries of the mind to invent

love and despair and anxiety
and their pain.”

KEY IDEA
The speaker is reflecting on the role of the mind in creating and experiencing emotions
OVERALL ANALYSIS
i. The speaker suggests that the mind is responsible for inventing emotions such as “love and
despair and anxiety”:
a. This implies that these emotions are constructs of the human psyche and abstract
rather than aspects of the physical world
 ii. By framing emotions as inventions of the mind, the speaker highlights the subjective nature of
human experience
iii. The speaker uses the word “vagaries” to suggest that the mind’s creation of emotions is not
dictated by logic or reason but by a range of factors that make it unpredictable
“Stevenson presents the theme of life and creation through an exploration of the almost unfathomable
complexity of the human body”.
Form
The poem is made up of 27 lines, which are written in free verse and divided into three stanzas, each
of nine lines.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The poem does not have a regular form and each stanza is The lack of regular form could reflect the poet’s enthusiasm at
formed of two sentences. Enjambment is used in each of marvelling at the baby’s anatomy and also create a closeness
the three stanzas between the reader and the speaker

The poet may have done this in order to help the poem move
Life and
freely and fluidly to make it feel more intimate and
creation
The poem is written in free verse and so does not use any conversational
kind of regular metre However, it could also be argued that the free verse reflects
the sporadic spirit that the poet refers to as it does not follow
a pattern or structure

Structure
The poem is formed of three stanzas that are nine lines long.

Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

Life and The poet has written 27 lines and the lines are divided The nine lines per stanza could reflect the duration of a
creation into three stanzas, which are nine-lines long pregnancy and the time it takes for a baby to fully form

Language
The writer uses anatomical language to reflect her awe at the complexity of the human body.
Theme Evidence Poet’s intention

The poet uses a lexical field linked to precision and The poet has used these words to emphasise how precise
complexity. Words such as “fine”, “distinct”, and complex the body is and reiterate the point that the
Life and creation
“complexity”, “miniature”, “intricate”, “precision” spirit/mind cannot create something so complex
and “accuracy”

Imagery is used as the poet goes into detail about

Stevenson does this to reinforce her argument that the
the body and pays particular attention to features
“spirit” could not have created something so intricate
such as the “ear”, “eyelashes” and “fingernails”

Stevenson does this to contrast the concrete nouns used

The unpredictable
Abstract nouns are used such as “passion”, “desire”, when describing the baby. The use of abstract nouns
nature of the human
“affection”, “love”, “anxiety” and “pain” highlights the intangible and unpredictable nature of the
spirit
human spirit
Two main themes that Stevenson explores in ‘The Spirit is too Blunt an Instrument’:
1. Life and creation
2. The unpredictable nature of the human spirit
Life and creation
i. Stevenson was a mother to three children before writing the poem:
a. It could be suggested that she uses this experience to write from the perspective of a
new mother who is looking at her baby
ii. The poet comments that the baby’s “intricate” form could not have been created by something
as clumsy and messy as “the spirit”
iii. The use of concrete words such as “bones”, “tendons”, “knees” and “knucklebones” create an
image of the baby that is tangible and real, which contrasts with the abstract words that are
used to describe the “spirit”:
a. This may have been done to put emphasis on the body and its minute details and to
pull the focus and importance away from the “spirit” and the mind
iv. By focusing on specific features and going into detail, the speaker attempts to prove her point
that the spirit could not have created a baby as each piece has to be crafted perfectly and the
spirit is too unskilled to be able to do this
v. In the second stanza, the speaker attempts to focus the readers by using words such as
“observe” and “imagine” when marvelling at the baby’s intricate features:
a. It could be argued that Stevenson observes her baby as a physical object, like a statue
to be marvelled at, rather than focusing on the mind
vi. In the final stanza, Stevenson concludes that “passion or sentiment” could not have created
something so intricate:
a. However, she decides that it is habit and instinct that has created life
b. This is ingrained in our genes but beyond our understanding
The unpredictable nature of the human spirit
i. Stevenson refers to the human mind and spirit as “blunt” and marvels at the physical form of
a person rather than the subconscious:
a. This is unconventional as poems usually focus on the “spirit” and the
human psyche rather than the intricacies of the body
ii. The spirit is described as a “blunt instrument” and the use of this metaphor sets the tone and
direction for the rest of the poem:
a. The poet then uses abstract words to describe the characteristics of the mind and this
creates the effect that the spirit is intangible and imperceptible to the touch
iii. However, at the end of the poem, the speaker acknowledges that it is the spirit and the
“vagaries of the mind” that add life and emotions to the perfect and intricate body